diff --git a/core/autoload/test.el b/core/autoload/test.el
index 2f226cd7f..83c3f5c61 100644
--- a/core/autoload/test.el
+++ b/core/autoload/test.el
@@ -26,9 +26,7 @@ If neither is available, run all tests in all enabled modules."
   (condition-case-unless-debug ex
       (let (targets)
         ;; ensure DOOM is initialized
-        (let (noninteractive)
-          (load (expand-file-name "init.el" user-emacs-directory) nil t))
-        (remove-hook 'doom-init-hook #'doom--display-benchmark)
+        (load (expand-file-name "core/core.el" user-emacs-directory) nil t)
         ;; collect targets
         (cond ((and command-line-args-left
                     (equal (car command-line-args-left) "--"))
diff --git a/core/core-packages.el b/core/core-packages.el
index 312cd1163..89601ab0e 100644
--- a/core/core-packages.el
+++ b/core/core-packages.el
@@ -312,12 +312,6 @@ MODULES is an malformed plist of modules to load."
      (setq doom-modules ',doom-modules)
 
      (unless noninteractive
-       (require 'core-ui)         ; draw me like one of your French editors
-       (require 'core-popups)     ; taming sudden yet inevitable windows
-       (require 'core-editor)     ; baseline configuration for text editing
-       (require 'core-projects)   ; making Emacs project-aware
-       (require 'core-keybinds)   ; centralized keybind system + which-key
-
        (load ,(doom-module-path :private user-login-name "init") t t)
        ,@(cl-loop for (module . submodule) in (doom--module-pairs)
                   collect `(require! ,module ,submodule t))
diff --git a/core/core.el b/core/core.el
index 810ac63dd..2754c5fc5 100644
--- a/core/core.el
+++ b/core/core.el
@@ -185,7 +185,13 @@ ability to invoke the debugger in debug mode."
     ('error
      (lwarn 'doom-autoloads :warning
             "%s in autoloads.el -> %s"
-            (car ex) (error-message-string ex)))))
+            (car ex) (error-message-string ex))))
+
+  (load! core-ui)         ; draw me like one of your French editors
+  (load! core-popups)     ; taming sudden yet inevitable windows
+  (load! core-editor)     ; baseline configuration for text editing
+  (load! core-projects)   ; making Emacs project-aware
+  (load! core-keybinds))  ; centralized keybind system + which-key
 
 (add-hook! '(emacs-startup-hook doom-reload-hook)
   #'doom|finalize)